The Wizard Heir's Sister
by Author IzzyV
Summary: What if Linda Downey had another child and, not wanting to make the same mistake as she did with Seph, she had Nick erase all memories of her baby girl. Now they're coming back and on top of that a new evil is brewing. One that can summon the dead. Who of their old enemies will return?
1. Chapter 1

A new evil was brewing. The Wizard Wars that ended a year ago left a peace that Hawk found unsettling. He had a dozen ruthless, tough as nails wizards as powerful as they come linked to him like one who came before.

That's who he was going to meet now. Yes, Dr. Gregory Leicester was dead along with Claude D'Orsay, Warren Barber, Bruce Hays, Aaron Hanlon, Wayne Eggars, and others, but not for much longer. For after many months of studying and perfecting the ritual, the one most claimed couldn't be achieved, he was ready to attempt it for real. Hawk was now confident in his skills; his skills of reviving the dead, and he was prepared tonight to do just that.

Hawk was a young man in his mid-twenties with a handsome if not cold face. His strong chin line framed a face with a small nose, large eyebrows, a cleft chin and two large, black eyes that stood out like saucers. All those facial features were fighting for attention, yet still managed to remain handsome. He was strict, and by being strict, he maintained full obedience in his followers. At his sides stood Flex and Hatch- the most committed members of his little team, they had started young. The youngest was Jake, and even though they were still working on his devotion, which was in a very… interesting phase to say the least, he was only 13.

Of course, the first step in his master plan was to find the bodies themselves. Even if they were damaged or crippled, the ritual revived them as if they'd never been dead at all. Leicester and all his minions save one had died in the same place at the same time and were retrieved early in the planning stage. For Warren Barber, however, it took some digging: particularly off the edge of a cliff where a certain Madison Moss had pushed him.

They entered the cemetery they'd put the bodies in for storage like ghosts themselves; prowling the graves for the selected few until they found them hidden in the most desolate and untamed corner, forgotten to time. Hawk spoke a series of intricate phrases and chants, magic and unheard of enchantments laced through every single one.

A hand reached from Leicester's grave like a zombie in every horror movie ever invented, Hawk signaled for his comrades to help him up. Leicester had been a role model to Hawk ever since he'd first heard about him. Now he'd brought him back from death, an impossible task made possible.

"What happened? Where am I?" The wizard asked in bewilderment.

"You died Dr.. And how was the afterlife? Never mind, never mind, my friends and I have brought you back and we are prepared to do so for the rest of the wizards linked to you."

He shook his head disbelievingly but smiled. "I have no doubt that I died, I just don't know how you managed to do what was just done. Who are you?"

"I am Hawk. A lot has happened while you were gone and I think you'll be very interested to hearing it." He smiled, thinking about their secret weapon in the upcoming fight and how Leicester would play a part in obtaining her. "But this is not the time. Flex, you get started on the others. Hatch, you help Dr. Leicester with whatever he needs. I'm sure he's hungry, after all, he's been dead for nearly three years now."

"You're reviving all my wizards?" Leicester asked.

"Yes," Hawk raised an eyebrow "Unless, of course, you have any objections."

"Save one; Peter Conroy, he's the weakling, the loose cannon. He doesn't deserve a second lifetime."

"Very well, Dr. You heard him boys." Hawk turned around, posture perfect and completely calm as always.

"Joseph." Leicester said suddenly.

Hawk looked up smiling, "I wondered how long it would take you to bring him up."

"Joseph and I have some unfinished business."

"Oh, yes. I recall him killing you and destroying everything you worked towards along with his parents and friends. Don't fret; we've kept tabs on all of them. Now, is there anything you need?"

Dr. Gregory Leicester, no longer dead and quite happy about it said simply "Revenge."


	2. Chapter 2- Lizzy

**Alright this is chapter one of my first fan fic everybody! So if anyone reads this, please take it easy on me. Hope you like it!**

* * *

In Trinity, Linda Downey, an enchanter, sat at a table in Dragon's Ghyll Castle with her visiting son Joseph and Leander Hastings; Seph's father. She had been mulling over a way to tell them this, and when Seph left Coal Grove to come parents with Madison, she knew this was her chance. They did have a right to know, but it was hard to convey it either way.

"What do you mean you have a daughter? That means I have a sister, right?" Seph asked, not quite believing his ears. He was delightfully handsome, his physical… and emotional condition having been restored in his time with Maddie, and her younger siblings John Robert and Grace, despite their brotherly bickering.

Hastings' eyebrows lowered far over his eyes and he leaned back in his chair, knowing Linda wasn't lying. When he discovered Seph was his son, he'd at least suspected it, but this was completely different. "How many children do we have? And when did this happen anyway? I'd like to think I'd remember something like this

Linda inwardly winced, not quite believing the decision she had made all those years ago, "We met one night in Rome ten years ago and we'd both been drinking and it went too far. You wouldn't remember because I had Nick wipe both yours and my memory clean so she could live a life far away from us. But since he died, everything's been coming back to me."

Both men were mad, furious even but still… joyful? Excited? Leander Hastings stood up with a hand on his head and walked down the hallway, pacing because he couldn't think of anything else to do. Seph began with questions:

"What's her name? How old is she? Where does she live? What are we going to do now? How could you erase your memory of her and keep me?" Madison, who had stayed quiet up until then, put a hand on his shoulder. She had a greater sense of sympathy for Linda than those closer in her family, and the endless stream of questions wasn't going to help anything.

"That's the thing, I just recalled her existence. But Nick knew everything, all the specifics. Her name is Elizabeth and she's nearly twelve years old living in a London orphanage."

Hastings walked back in. "So you don't know anything?"

Linda sighed and nodded while closing her eyes, "She may or may not have powers, but I do know one thing; she's probably lost and confused, and we need to find her."

Elizabeth Bones (or Lizzy as she went by) was the mirror image of her father and brother if they were female, of this though she is completely unaware. She has waist length black curls that roll down her back like a waterfall and icy green eyes. Her face is still child like and innocent, dashed with Sunkist freckles and smiling all the time like she's always laughing at an unspoken joke though her smiles are once in a blue moon. And yet she was perfectly fine being an orphan. She had more freedom than other children because Sara, the woman who ran the orphanage, couldn't keep track of everyone all the time and her caseworker James could only be with her most of the time. When she got overly excited, angry, or upset, things would happen. Stuff explodes, people lose their memory, things levitate, once she froze time and yet she manages to convince herself that they're all coincidences. How do I know? Well, she's me.

She doesn't know there's a whole world with five guilds; wizards, sorcerers, warriors, enchanters, soothsayers, and the rare but ever infamous elicitors. She also doesn't know that by some extraordinary occurrence, she discovered her powers sooner than anyone and she's the strongest female wizard ever born. She doesn't know that a certain team of malicious wizards come back to life were watching her right now. But most of all, she doesn't know her biological family is right in the midst of it. Trust me, when all this is through and done with, she'll really wish she did.

Besides her supernatural gifts, for an 11 year old girl, she's spectacular all on my own. She is referred to as exceptionally bright having already graduated college with a Masters degree, a perfect memory, she's memorized all of the books in her local library, and she has the uncanny ability to mimic voices perfectly. Sadly though, her friendships are near zero. Now that she's graduated school, yet still not legally able to get a job, all of her time is spent in the library with the four friends she does have; the librarian Mary, Mary's daughter Rose who is in her mid-twenties, the library's janitor Ted, and the official library cat Rufus.

She's there now, re-reading Moby Dick for the twelfth time and simultaneously conversing with Mary.

"Do you remember when you first came here and asked me for the adult section?" Mary asked reminiscing in a whimsical way that only older women can.

"Of course I do; perfect memory, remember?" She said smiling as she passed page 350.

"I thought you were crazy as you picked up The Grapes of Wrath, but then, a few hours later you finished it and started another one. You'd spend the whole day here, I envied your determination." Mary laughed to herself, the wrinkles around her eyes distinguishing themselves. "Then I met you and realized just how much more I had to be jealous of."

She looked away from her book and opened my mouth to say something when Rose burst through the swinging doors shrieking. "Oh-my-god, oh-my-god, oh-my-god; you will never believe what just happened!" Rufus yowled and jumped onto Lizzy's lap, hissing in the direction of those horrific doors.

Like always, the library was empty, the only reason it was still open was the government's funding. Ted rounded the corner with his mop bucket, thick, bushy moustache lifted in a smile, "What's with all the noise, ladies?" He asked.

Rose was all smiles, her voice high and shrill. "Matt just proposed! To me! I'm getting married, I'm getting married!" Tears pooled at the corners of Mary's eyes, Ted laughed and picked Rufus up, dancing with him, while Lizzy stood up clapping and jumping up around in giddy happiness.

"Can I be in the wedding?" Lizzy asked.

"Be in the wedding? Elizabeth Bones, I want you to be my maid of honor!" Pretty soon after that, everyone was screaming and shouting excitedly when Lizzy's cell phone rang. Lizzy was the only one with a mobile phone, and it only had one contact; James.

Lizzy answered with the celebratory sounds still audible in the background. "James! Oh my God you will not believe what just happened! Matt just proposed to Mary, isn't that just the most exciting news?" Then she recognized the slight static of the phone being on speaker. "James, who else is listening to this conversation- wouldn't have been slightly more polite to announce the speaker phone status before allowing me to talk? I mean-"

"Elizabeth, I need you to leave the library and come home. There's someone here very eager to meet you."

"Spectacular. Listen James, I want to celebrate with my friends tonight; I'm not in the mood for another interview with whoever it is. Make an exception, please?"

"There's a family who wants to meet you, they're considering taking you into their home, letting you live there on a trial basis." His booming voice was toned down, talking only to her though others were listening, rudely she might add.

Lizzy knew that this was a big deal but, leaving? She had everything going for her. As soon as she got a job, she could make enough money to move out of the orphanage the day she turned eighteen. And if James would allow, the government could probably find a place for genius Elizabeth Bones today. But she can only dream.

Panicking and going straight to my obnoxious and sarcastic mode, Lizzy turned to Mary. "Mar, can I sleep over after the party tonight?"

"Sure, if that's alright with James."

She turned back to the phone, "That's ok, right?"

"Elizabeth-" He warned.

"Of course it is; thanks!" She hung up the phone and left a stunned James Weatherby on the other end. Sitting in the room next to him trying to keep the smiles off their faces were Seph and Maddie- passing off as husband and wife though they weren't yet, but the marriage preparations were underway.

Their investigation to find missing Elizabeth was taken in small groups or pairs; Linda and Hastings, Seph and Maddie, Jack and Ellen, Leesha Middleton, Will and Fitch. They would find any girl at eleven years old with the birth name Elizabeth who had any history of success or incidents that were probably linked to magical occurrences. Once having met them, their appearance or lack of being Weir cancelled them out, but after listening to just this one conversation with Lizzy, Seph was intrigued.

James, eyes wide and ridiculous smile plastered on his face, turned to face the supposed married couple in their early twenties looking to adopt a child from his clients; namely Elizabeth. This identity was false, to protect themselves from any parties trying to pick up their trail. It was quite obvious how nervous he'd been and how embarrassed he was now.

"I am so sorry. She usually doesn't behave like this, but with kids, you never know, you know?" He sighed deeply and exhaled through his nose before focusing his attention back on them, surprised they were still here.

For the first few years of her life, Elizabeth had many pursuing adopters but her personality and difficult ways scared them off. Then with her impressive record and increasing age, that mostly scared everyone off. Her attitude now was the only reason James could reprimand. "Listen, I understand that Elizabeth seems a bit challenging and perhaps bi-polar, but I've known her all her life. She's really a great kid, and she just needs someone to care for her."

Maddie gave Seph a knowing look; it seemed his and his sister's situations were a lot alike. He returned it with a smile and a comforting pat on her hand. "How about we come back tomorrow, that is, I assume she'll be back by then?"

Instantly James' expression brightened and twinkled with… hope? It had been so long since he'd felt any hope for her.

"Definitely, we'll be here. Thank you so much, you won't regret this." He stumbled out his response and stared after them as they left, smiling at this turn of events. Then after a few deep breaths, he followed them out the doorway and to his car.

Maddie slumped onto Seph as they sat in their rental. "We're going to follow him to see the girl, aren't we?" He nodded. "You know, you have no patience at all."

"Yea, alright then," Seph gave her a quick kiss before starting the car and following James as he drove to Mary's flat about an hour away.

At this flat, Lizzy lay under a multitude of blankets her fantasy mother had piled on top of her. Between that and the hot chocolate she'd given her earlier as their great celebratory dessert, she was a bundle of warmth. There's something in her brain setting where once Elizabeth falls asleep, it's difficult to wake back up if she can do it at all.

Sure, she might be feeling a little guilty for standing James up like that, but there's nothing she could do about it now. "Night, Mar!" She called throughout the house and closed her eyes to blissful, worry free sleep.

James stormed out of his car, slamming the car door behind him, straightening his jacket before marching up the front porch steps and forcefully knocking on the rickety door. From across the street, Seph watched with fascination, black curls covering his studying eyes.

It was near 1:00 in the morning when Mary answered the door, disheveled, and in her nightdress. "James," She yawned, eyes puffy and irritated from sleep. "What can I help you with?"

"Is Elizabeth here?" He asked though he already knew the answer.

Mary nodded, "She's in the guest room- I had a feeling you didn't approve. Just keep it down; my husband's sleeping in the other room." She opened the door wider to let the caseworker inside. He made a left and marched down the hallway, digging his nails into the palms of his hands.

The room was dark. When James flipped the light switch he sighed, Lizzy was asleep. She was sprawled out on the full sized guest bed, under many blankets. He'd always been a sucker for her when she was asleep, because she looked so young and innocent; because that's the only time she ever actually acted her age.

He picked her up, keeping his arm protective under her back and thigh as he carried her back through the house. "Thanks, Mary. You have a good night." He said. She smiled and waved goodbye tiredly but politely. As he made his way to the car, Lizzy drifted in and out of sleep.

"Why are they watching us?" She asked with a yawn.

"Who's watching us, Liz?"

"That couple… the ones across the street." She waved her hand in the direction where a sleek, black car with darkened windows was parked.

Inside Seph and Maddie sat watching. Maddie noted how her high cheekbones, long black curls, and eyelashes matched her fathers- Leander Hastings and brothers- her boyfriend. There was a haze around the girl that confused her, what she saw didn't coexist with common sense. It appeared as if this particular Elizabeth was a wizard, but perhaps a different kind of one.

"Is she Weir?" Seph asked, rubbing Madison's palm affectionately.

She nodded, "She is most definitely… one of the strongest I've seen."

"What is she? An enchanter? It would make sense because our mother is one."

"No…"

"Well, what?"  
"It looks like she's a wizard, but something about her appears different. Her aura looks like Jack's, but hazier."

He opened his mouth, gaping ever so slightly. Even though the Trade has deteriorated and the Roses had been neutralized, there are still some who take to kidnapping the more powerful Weir. It's a surprise no one found her, a helpless eleven year old girl without any knowledge or protection. If someone followed a lead or somehow figured out who her family was, she would be a valuable pawn. The fear of dragons was shattering, not lasting any longer.

"That's new. She's the first orphaned wizard we've found, I mean, at least I had Genevieve. If she's discovered her powers already, it'll be rough on her. It's worth contacting everyone else." Seph remembered what had happened to him at the Havens, forming a connection with Lizzy. He kept his eyes on her, as if he could already tell she was his sister. And from what information they had already, it was a definite possibility.

Lizzy woke to the blaring alarm James had set for her the previous night; 6:30, seriously? Then she realized she was in her bedroom at the orphanage with the ruckus of children's screams, the banging of pots and pans, and loud footsteps clattered through the building.

It was just another day in her personal hell.

She got dressed and went downstairs, dodging discarded playthings and out of control toddlers. She walked down three flights of stairs and through numerous cluttered hallways until she ended up in the kitchen. Sitting there with smiles and large cups of coffee in chipped mugs were James and Seph. Maddie had gone to the Hall of City records to find as much information on this Bones girl as she could.

"Hello, Elizabeth." Seph smiled, Lizzy raised her eyebrows. Lizzy herself had an English accent, but she could tell that Seph was an American.

"It's just Lizzy."

"Alright just Lizzy-"

That's when one of her powers blared up. Sure she didn't know how to control it, but it would sure make quick work of these people. Out of nowhere a voice, her voice, played itself in Seph's head. _'I don't know who you are, and there's something you're not telling me, so I'll make this simple. I don't want to be adopted and something tells me you really don't want to adopt me.' _

While surprised and unsure what exactly she was doing, Seph stood up and shook her hand, sending a wave of power into her. "It's nice to meet you."

Stunned into silence, Lizzy swallowed back a remark and instead said "ditto."

"This is Mr. McCauley," James introduced "The owner of your new foster home." There it was- the big shebang; the announcement that confirmed her worst fears. James had made a decision, he'd decided that this couple would adopt her and be a suitable family, and there was no going back now. What she didn't know was that Seph had told James their investigations and he had confirmed that her original name was McCauley, not the real family name, but enough to confirm her identity. They were indeed related, but as brother and sister, not father and daughter.

In a daze with glazed over eyes, she was escorted to her room and packed everything she'd ever owned. Mr. McCauley surveyed the room with unexpected interest; the laptop that held the research into her supernatural gifts, the college degrees hanging on the walls, and the numerous piles of messily stacked books. They were all placed I cardboard boxes and taken down to the trunk of the car Lizzy would be leaving in.

Only minutes later, the room was empty and hollow, depressing to a girl who was not expecting that day to be a dramatic change to her. "You ready?" Seph asked, still believing that she was an innocent child.

"Just give me a minute." She responded sounding quiet and vulnerable.

"Sure," He smiled.

As soon as he had left, Lizzy slid out the window and onto the fire-escape. There was no definite answer to where she would be heading, but with his accent, it could be America and she wasn't the kind of person to stick around and ask. In her mindset, there was only one thing she could do that ever helped her; run.

After she had climbed down three stories worth of ladder and walked six blocks to the bus station she realized she needed to decide where she could go. Sure, the library was an option but probably the most obvious one. She could go to any place in town without being found so easily, but there was no guarantee they could help her or keep her secret. With a sudden jolt she realized there was only one place left to go; the cove.

Lizzy had found the cove one day when she was five years old. James had been driving her to school (by school I mean middle school) on a different route than usual and they'd passed this secluded spot of woods right in the middle of nowhere. Even more surprising than that, it was only a few miles away from the orphanage. There was a large hollowed out oak tree whose trunk was the size of her bedroom and seeming to be made just for her. Over time it had been turned into the ultimate hideaway where she could go if she was having a tough night or just needed quiet to do her super advanced homework.

When she reached the cove, Lizzy felt safe, protected, and most of all hidden. Little did she know that Madison had been following her the whole time. With one simple call, Madison called her boyfriend and told "Mr. McCauley" where Lizzy was hiding. And when she woke from a deep sleep she fell into with help from a little slipped up magic, she would be in Trinity, Ohio; the Sanctuary.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Voices stirred her from her long, very long slumber. Still in an awkward half sleep, she mumbled to go away to the little girls from the orphanage that had most likely just snuck into her bedroom. The voices quieted and the weight of many eyes watched her.

Now, she had never liked attention to be on her. So slowly but surely she opened her eyes and stared straight into John Robert's (or as he was better known as J.R.) face. "Hello." He smiled a toothy, or lack of toothy smile.

She raised an eyebrow, trying to make her impression of not smiling for anyone unless they lived in her library like she did. Then she looked around and saw that she was surrounded by nearly all unfamiliar faces. Well, all except "Mr. McCauley", he was there with another woman Lizzie thought she'd seen before.

"Let her sit up, I'm sure this will come as a shock." Lizzy did sit up, then stood up, then cross her arms and glared at everyone in the room. It was a shock, but not so much to Lizzy but to everyone else.

"Would someone care to tell me where the hell I am?" She glared right at a surprised Seph.

"This is your new foster home."

Lizzy surveyed the room dispassionately. "I'm guessing this is America then."

"Ohio actually," Grace chipped in.

"What is this, the Brady Bunch? Why are there so many of you?"

They all introduced themselves and she tried to remember all the names and their relationship to one another. Jack and Ellen Swift, Linda Downey, Leander Hastings, Becca Swift, Seph McCauley, Madison, J.R., and Grace Moss, Will and Fitch. Jack and Ellen were engaged to each other. Becca was Jack's mother and Linda was his aunt. Linda and Leander were married and their son was 'Mr. McCauley'. Seph and Madison are dating. Grace and J.R. are Madison's younger siblings, and Will and Fitch are just there. Lizzy suddenly realized that only four of them were Anaweir, but seemed well aware of what that meant.

"Alright," Lizzy blinked rapidly and stood up, spying her backpack in the corner. She picked it up, swung it over her shoulder, and looked at Seph expectantly because he was the only one she'd actually met before. "Would someone care to show me my room or should I take the couch like a normal guest should?"

"Guest?" He responded.

"Well you can't really expect me to want to stay here. I want to go home, and as soon as you screw up, it'll be my ticket out of here."

They all seemed too shocked to argue. She was led upstairs to the room that had once been Nick's over Jack's garage and left her to settle in. Before long, she fell asleep brainstorming how to escape this nightmare.

Downstairs all the adults sat around staring at each other, not quite sure what they should do. This was nothing like their experience with Seph. Sure, they fell under slightly different circumstances, but he'd at least been willing to try.

Linda was distressed. When her son had walked in carrying her daughter, she'd teared up gasping at how beautiful she was. This young girl she never knew existed until weeks ago had managed to reduce her to a pitiful mess of tears. Leander held her in his arms, also struck speechless and not able to move his gaze away.

Then they waited until she woke up. Though they expected some sort of hostility, they had hopes she would be all smiles and forgiveness when she discovered her parentage and they'd live happily ever after the end. But that only happens in dreams and fairy tales.

"I suppose we were foolish to think she'd be happy about this." Linda reasoned aloud.

No one said anything but agreed with her anyway. Maddie returned from putting her younger siblings to bed, answering their questions as best she could. 'Will she like us?' 'Can we be friends?' 'Does she know who we are?' 'Will she still be here when we wake up?'

"We'll just have to keep trying. If we're her friends first, the news won't come as so much of a shock." Becca smiled, attempting to cheer everyone up.

"Well there's nothing more to do about it now." Leander rose, taking his wife with him. "Let's all have a good night sleep and deal with this in the morning."

Everyone agreed and soon enough the house was silent.

Lizzy woke up at her usual 4 in the morning when not on weekends and proceeded down into the kitchen. When her eyes and mind cleared, she realized she wasn't in her kitchen. With a look outside she realized she wasn't in her town and from the weather she deducted that she wasn't even in London. Her breath came out unsteadily.

She now thought she understood. She was with her foster family in their home which was great (sarcastic of course). James would never allow her to come back home now that someone had actually made a huge effort for her in particularly. There was only one thing to do in a time like this; make an extravagant breakfast to cheer her up.

Lizzy was an excellent cook. Cooking had been one of her electives in college because the orphanage food sucked, like it really sucked. She found basic ingredients in the fridge and cabinets and pre set the stove to 350 degrees.

Time flew by and before she knew it, it was 7 am and she had a full 4 course breakfast for 10 including waffles, pancakes, French toast, regular toast, omelets, bacon, smoothies, a fruit platter and cereal with milk.

Lizzy took a seat at the table in front of all of her food and started eating once the presentation was perfect. About ten minutes into her feast, Jack and Ellen came jogging in the house from the door right next to her. When they saw what they did, it appeared as if they were about to have heart attacks before realizing she was supposed to be here.

She noticed them take a defensive stance, she noticed because she and her previous captors had drilled them into her mind during combat training until she passed out from exhaustion, they appeared as if ready to launch into battle.

"Where'd all of this food come from? Did you take out?" Ellen asked.

"How did you know the address for them to drop this all off at anyway? And how'd you pay for it?" Jack asked in turn.

"Stop with the assuming questions. I made the food. I didn't call anyone. I didn't pay for anything, but you may need to buy more food soon. This was pretty much everything in the kitchen."

The two older people in the room shared a long, skeptical look before speaking again. "I'll go get Seph," Jack announced.

"I'll stay here."

Lizzy rolled her eyes and took a bite out of the waffle in her hand. "Americans are so suspicious." Her accent was thick with annoyance.

Ellen cautiously sat down across from the scarily talented eleven year old chef and wasn't really sure what to do. Lizzy looked up from her buffet meal, "I'm not going to eat all of this by myself, as far as I know, that's not the healthiest."

She smiled and took one of the still warm omelets. She took a bite. "This is the best omelet I've ever had. Now, I heard you already graduated from college. When and where?"

By the time the two frazzled boys came down, the girls had been chatting it up for a whole… 3 minutes or so. And while Lizzy was skeptical to make an ally this soon into their forced encounter, they had begun to take a general liking in each other.

To say the least, Seph was very unsure as to how to handle this situation. It's not like she had done anything wrong, but it was… strange. Not to mention there was the whole awkwardness of their relationship. He was her brother but she thought of him as her faster father and who knew anymore?

"Good morning," He said warily.

Mouth full of food, Lizzy waved nonchalantly but otherwise ignored him. Jack shrugged in his direction and filled his plate up with food, reasoning that he'd go for a VERY long run later to balance it out. Seph did the same but tuned into the girls' conversation.

"So about London… what are some of your favorite parts about it?" Ellen asked, finishing up the omelet she raved about.

"Hmm, the architecture, the town, the people, the food, the school, but definitely not the orphanage,"

"How was it living there?"

Lizzy tried to ignore the men sitting down at the table. "Picture this; I'm a middle child there, not quite allowed in the group with the teenagers who have given up hope of ever being adopted and trying to break free of the younger kids that seem to multiply and divide themselves day by day. After graduating school, I'm left alone in that building because everyone else still has to board onto a yellow school bus and waste 7 hours learning about the Revolutionary War and writing their names in cursive. So, to escape the loneliness, you head over to the library to pass the time with books and your friends without anyone else to bother you. I guess you could say there are a lot of pros and cons."

"Wait," Seph butted in. "How do you have friends at the library if all of the children are at school?"

She sighed, unhappy that the conversation became public. "I have and have only ever had four friends. A sixty year old librarian, a forty year old janitor, a twenty year old diva, and a seven year old cat"

They looked at her oddly. "You didn't have any friends your own age because..?"

"Because I never stayed in one grade the whole year, I was way younger than any of my fellow students, I enjoy more mature pastimes, and they were all the friends a girl could need."

Lizzy was becoming defensive so they let it drop.

Soon enough everyone else in the house woke up and filtered down the stairs. When it started becoming crowded, Lizzy left unnoticed to the guest room and got dressed in a pair of faded jeans, converse sneakers fraying at the edges, and a hand me down t-shirt from Rose that said KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON. Was it the newest? Not at all. But it was a comfort from home, and she intended for it to stay exactly like that. Not to mention the saying kind of fit the situation.

She brushed her hair out of her face as much as she could and she walked down the stairs. It got quiet as she walked into the living room. Was this going to happen every time she walked in a room? Good lord she'd go insane in a week.

After examining her clothing they looked at each other and her with a pity that she hated. This was all very awkward; no one talking or doing anything else.

Ellen was the one who walked forwards. After explaining the morning situation to everyone else, it seemed that she was the only one who had made any progress whatsoever with the girl. "We're all headed over to the mall today to go back to school shopping. Would you care to join us?"

Lizzy knew they were offering her an olive branch, so she accepted it with as much grace as she could manage. "I wouldn't mind at all, are we going now?"

They all fumbled for an answer, obviously not expecting her compliance. "We'll go right now. Yes, yes now would work. I should probably put some shoes on and we'll get in the car and head right on over there." Linda rambled. She'd faced the trade, her husband in a bad mood, and some of the most dangerous Weir to ever live, and she was intimidated to this state by her eleven year-old daughter.

They'd have to work on that, now wouldn't they?

The mall just outside of Trinity wasn't like the malls in any big towns with endless floors and hallways compiled together like a labyrinth. In fact it had the bare minimum of necessities needed to even call it a mall in the first place. But Lizzy found it quite entertaining. She bought thirteen graphic t-shirts, six pairs of jeans, three pairs of leggings, one skirt, an adorable pair of red converse, a navy and purple tie dye baseball cap, a few of her favorite books, and ate her first soft pretzel, all before lunch.

Everyone watched Lizzy throughout the day with a sense of wonder and amazement. Yesterday they didn't know she existed and already they knew they would have missed her had she left again.

"I think it's time for lunch, good for everyone?" Leander asked, already heading to the food court himself. Lizzy shrugged and followed, while not knowing that she was leading the others into following her.

The food court was probably the largest portion of the whole mall. There were more fast food restaurants than tables and everyone in their group wanted something different. Caught up in the heat of the decision making, Lizzy just grabbed some money from Leander's wallet, which she just took from his pocket without him noticing and headed in the opposite direction, hoping to find a burger and some fries.

Finally she spotted a Johnny Rockets and sighed in relief. She took a seat at the counter next to a boy only a year or two older than she was and placed her order. After paying for it, she had a couple of quarters left to pick the music. _The Beach Boys, why not? _

"You like the Beach Boys?"

Stunned at the voice, Lizzy looked up and met the eyes of that teenage boy to her left. "I like all the oldies. How about you?"

He shrugged, sipping his milkshake and lounging casually like he lived here and they were old friends. "The oldies don't have rap."

"Thank the lord, I can't stand rap."

He laughed. It was a short, amused one, but it made her blush all the same. "I like you. Name's Jake, what's yours?"

"It's Lizzy…" Her food was placed in front of her and she started in on her fries.

"Well Lizzy, you here alone today?"

"No, but I doubt they care where I am right now."

He smirked. "Join the club. I'm an orphan, I aint got nobody."

"Really?" Lizzy was genuinely interested. "Me too."

"Cool, so you'll know where I'm coming from. Here," He wrote something down on a napkin and handed it to her. "It's my number. Give me a call if you ever need someone to know where you're coming from."

With that he was off, carrying his milkshake and full of swagger. He was strange, but intriguing. Like modern art in a museum and Lizzy intended to make good on his number.

As soon as she'd stuffed the napkin in her pocket and started in on her burger, the large crowd that was her foster family walked towards her, barely managing to not assault her.

"Where have you been?" Seph asked, his voice calm but his hysteria rising.

Lizzy looked around and noticed similar angry faces on everybody else except the kids who were to busy playing with their McDonald's toys to do anything. "Well obviously I've been here… eating… and you?"

"Looking all over the place for a stubborn eleven year old girl!" He grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the food court and headed to the parking lot.

Lizzy kept eating her burger and thinking about that mysterious mall boy who captured her thoughts as her surprisingly strict foster 'father' dragged her home. It's a strange life, and little did she know that it was going to get a whole lot stranger.


End file.
